This disclosure relates generally to apparatus and methods for securing a sensor package within a tubular member. The oil and gas industry has seen a significant increase in systems and methods for acquiring and analyzing data gathered during drilling or other wellbore operations. Data acquired during wellbore operations can prove critical in evaluating drilling techniques, predicting system behavior, and designing improved wellbore tools. For example, being able to analyze data representing the actual forces and accelerations imparted on a particular tool during drilling operations may allow for modifications of the drilling process or improvements to tools that prolong tool life and reduce the cost of drilling.
In order to best understand what is happening in the wellbore, it is often desirable to be able to place data sensors and acquisition systems in the wellbore as close as possible to the tools being analyzed. One method used to place data sensors and acquisition systems in a wellbore is using a sub-assembly (“sub”) that is incorporated into the drill string and uses a short tubular member to house the data sensors and acquisition systems. Because the sub is incorporated into the drill string, in many applications it cannot be located at the most desirable location for data acquisition. In response to this limitation, efforts have been made to incorporate sensors and data acquisition equipment directly into drill string tools, such as drill bits.
Although incorporating sensors and data acquisition systems directly into a drill string tool places the data acquisition equipment in a more desirable location, it often means utilizing a modified or specially designed drill string tool. Due to the wide variety of drill string tools available to operators, having another set of unique tools may be less than desirable.
Other factors that must be considered in utilizing data sensors and acquisition systems in a wellbore include the harsh conditions of the wellbore environment and the extreme forces created during the drilling process. Any data sensor or acquisition system deployed in a wellbore must be able to withstand extreme pressures, temperatures, and dynamic forces for extended periods of time. Therefore, wellbore-deployed data sensors and acquisition systems must be robustly designed so as to withstand this extreme environment. This is especially critical when attempting to acquire data on downhole forces and accelerations, as any movement of the data sensor or acquisition system relative to the drill string can result in erroneous and unusable data.
There is a continuing need in the art for systems that allow data sensors and acquisition systems to be used in a wellbore environment during drilling or other operations.